Composite panels of laminated materials are increasingly used in aircraft manufacturing due to their light weight and high strength. Large scale composite structures are typically fabricated from smaller composite panels that are fastened together. The smaller composite panels are aligned with each other into their final layout, drilled during the manufacturing process, and then fastened together.
In some cases, errors may occur during the drilling process that results in holes being drilled in the wrong position and/or using the wrong diameter drill bit. When a drilling error occurs, the hole in the composite panel is repaired using an epoxy potting material that is deposited into the hole, followed by a thermal curing process. The panel may then be re-drilled in the correct location and/or with the correct diameter drill bit.
During a thermal curing process, the temperature of the panel around the potting material is controlled to a particular target temperature, which may depend on the type of potting material. Typically the curing process includes the use of Infra-Red (IR) lamps that are positioned around the cure site. However, problems may arise if the cure site is overheated due to operator error, a shift in the placement of the IR lamps after setup, etc. Overheating the cure site may cause scorching or burning of the panel, which then entails additional repairs to the composite panel or in extreme cases, irreparable damage to the composite panel. Therefore, there is a need for providing thermal curing solutions that are more reliable and less prone to accidentally damaging the composite panels during the repair process.